George Ryoichi Ariyoshi was an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he was Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He assumed gubernatorial powers and duties when Governor John A. Burns was declared incapacitated in October 1973 and was elected in 1974, becoming the first Asian-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state or territory. His lengthy tenure of over 13 years is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office.
